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The lawsuit by the former Manu Samoa sevens Coach Damian McGrath against the Samoa Rugby Union has been adjourned for mediation. The matter was called this morning for hearing of the application by the defendant’s on security of cost. Justice Vui Clarence Nelson however believed that the matter should be referred to mediation. “The first and the second defendant’s application for security of cost have also been adjourned awaiting the outcome of the mediation,” said Justice Vui.

The recent presentation by Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) of its forward plan to the Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) on re-opening Panguna mine has brought satisfaction to landowners. Chairman of the Port Mine Access Road said the BCL proposal contained new and additional documentation and information not included in the past and even before the mine became operational during pre-independence.

Fifty women candidates who intend to run for the 2017 National Election have been selected to participate in a week of training on parliamentary processes. In a highly competitive process, participants from 22 provinces were selected from more than 200 applicants and will be trained on critical national policy issues, parliamentary processes and campaign strategies from March 6-13 this year in Port Moresby.

Someone tried to burn down the Latte House at the Chamolinian Village in Garapan on Tuesday evening, according to Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Chris Concepcion. “We urge members of the community to come forward if they have any information related to this crime,” said Concepcion. “We also ask investigators to move swiftly in their investigation so justice can be served.”

An historic conference in Tonga hopes to map out the future of whale conservation for the region. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme has announced the first ever Pacific Whale conference will be held in April. The event will focus on emerging threats to whales and investigate future legislative and research needs.

The World Health Organisation says the latest dengue outbreaks suggest it is spreading across the Pacific. Fiji has now confirmed 143 cases, Nauru has confirmed more than 50, and 13 have been confirmed in American Samoa. That follows outbreaks in Solomon Islands which has had more than 10,000 dengue cases in the last seven months, and in Vanuatu which has had more than 1700 cases since November.

The Nadi International Airport upgrade project should be completed by March or April this year. Airports Fiji Limited executive chairman Faiz Khan said the $130million [US$63 million] project would provide something that Fijians could be proud of and international guests could enjoy.

The “probable cause” of a small plane that crashed in the sea minutes after take off from Pago Pago International Airport has been attributed to loss of control of the plane during the initial climb in gusty windy conditions, according to findings by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation, in its final report. Based on the federal probe, the single engine Beechcraft plane crashed before 11p.m. July 22, 2014.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service officials and their attorneys met with Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to discuss the near 100 percent rejection of H-2B visa petitions for foreign labor in Guam. At the meeting, USCIS acting Director Lori Scialabba asked Calvo to explain the situation Guam faces. She also asked USCIS staff and attorneys to explain the position they’d taken this past year and the reason behind it, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

The two most senior officers at the National Prosecution Office (N.P.O.) have resigned. The Director, Mauga Precious Chang, and Assistant Director, Muriel Lui, have tendered their resignations in the wake of a report by a Cabinet-ordered Tribunal which investigated their conduct. The resignations were confirmed by Attorney General, Lemalu Hermanm Retzlaff in an email to the Samoa Observer yesterday.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.